Blood and Kisses

Nauuhaw ako. Iyan ang unang bagay na pumasok sa isipan ni Aspen. She blinked several times before she took on her environment. She was in a hotel room and she had been living here for over a month. She liked the place, but she knew she had to leave somehow. And soon. She never spent more than a month in one place. It’s just that this place was perfect for her. Deserted and quiet minus nosy neighbors. Noong minsan kasi ay may kapitbahay siyang panay ang usyoso kung bakit bihira daw siya nitong makita tuwing umaga, may pagkakataon pang tinangka nitong pasukin ang bahay niya. She had no choice but to leave the place eventhough she liked the suburban community. It's either that or she had to kill the woman. Napailing siya. Sayang. Masasarap pa naman ang dugo nila. Without needing another reminder of her thirst, she disentangled herself from her satin sheets and got up from bed. She went straight to the window and pulled on the blinds, the sun was still up. F-ck. She unwillingly turned to her personal fridge and took out a bag of blood. She rolled her eyes as she examined it. Type O negative. Sa lahat yata ng mga bampira ay siya lamang ang maarte pagdating sa flavor ng dugo. Ang type O ang pinakaordinaryo ang lasa sa lahat. Almost bland, actually. Type A's a bit on the salty side and Type B's are on the sweet side. While the rare type AB..ugh! Her eyes nearly rolled back at memory of its taste. The taste was comparable to a tasty human food that'll make your mouth water. But in Aspen's case, makes her fangs elongate. And of course she knew what human food taste like! Aspen has to eat human food from time to time. Having lived for almost two hundred years, she didn't only watch how the cultures evolved, but also how people discovered ways to enhance the taste of their food. For a vampire like her, however, she could not deny the fact that the quality of blood had dwindled away. Just like how the quality of life of most people on earth did. Eating human food isn't that repulsive, though vampires prefer blood for the strength it provides them. Human food does nothing for her kind. The first time she tried eating their food was as an experiment when she was younger since she couldn't remember s**t about her human days--before she was made into what she is now. Paminsan rin ay kailangan niyang magpanggap na normal na tao para maka-attract ng biktima kaya kailangan niyang kumain sa harap ng mga ito. So, she could taste their food alright, it just doesn't do anything to satiate ther hunger. And apparently, human food does not make vampires ill as opposed to their beliefs back then. Pinilas niya ang gilid ng blood bag at sinipsip ang dugo mula roon. Naupo siya sa kama at nagmuni muni habang sumisimsim ng paborito niyang inumin. The blood from the bag is nothing compared to the blood from a living prey. Nothing's more delicious than fresh warm blood. Hindi gusto ni Aspen ang lasa ng dugo na nabahiran na ng lasa ng kemikal na nagmula sa blood bag. Ngunit wala naman siyang ibang pagpipilian. It's only past two in the afternoon. The sun is still shining bright in the cloudless metro sky. She couldn't feed at this time. That would be too messy, too reckless. It wasn't because of the bullshit humans believe that vampires burn under the sunlight. Although yeah, the sun could potentially hurt them a bit specially when they are running low on blood. It's just that vampires are kind of weak under the sun, plus their eyes are too sensitive.  Their ability to remain out of the mortal’s radar are greatly diminished, too. She doesn't want to risk exposure. Mula sa mga tao at mula na rin sa mga kalahi niyang bampira. Higit sa lahat, sa mga hunters. It's always best to remain inconspicuous. She survived almost two centuries because she's very careful. Gaya nga ng nabanggit niya kanina ay madalas na hindi siya nagtatagal sa isang lugar. Not more than a month, two months tops, tapos lilipat nanaman siya sa ibang bayan. Preferably a hundred miles from her last shelter. There are times when she even had to stay for less than a week to make it look like she was a tourist and was just passing by. Madalas din ay nagpapalit siya ng pangalan. She doesn't give away her name unless strictly necessary. Nagamit na niya ang pangalang Elise, Eudora, Patrice, Celia at kung anu ano pa. Alas singko y media nang maisipan niyang lumabas ng tinutuluyan niya at maghanap ng mabibiktima. Hindi parin lumilipas ang uhaw niya. Her thirst was still evident from the dark circles around her eyes. The blood bags are for cases of emergency only. There are some cases, when the blood becomes too old, its value disintegrates and becomes useless. Just like any other food, blood also becomes non consumable if it's stale. At ayaw niya na masyado siyang nauuhaw. Too much thirst could result to recklessness and aggression. And these two leads to trouble. And trouble is something Asoen has been trying to avoid for a quite a long time. Trouble, to her, leads to death. Dressed in black leather jacket, black skinny pants and boots, she strolled outside the hotel until she got somewhere dark. With only few people around. Somewhere fit for feeding. Usually, dumadayo pa siya sa malayong lugar para maghanap ng biktima. Again, for safety purposes. Ngunt sa ngayon ay nakaramdam siya ng katamaran, isa pa’y nauuhaw na siya. She couldn’t delay her feeding any longer. "Baby, ano ka ba? Baka may makakita satin!" isang tinig sa isang sulok ang nakakuha ng atensyon ni Aspen. A girl with long wavy hair has her back against the brick wall. The man in front of her was busy planting swift kisses along her exposed collarbone while his hands were busy groping her blue jeans cladded thighs. Aspen watched as the woman squirmed, letting out irritating fake moans that made her eyes roll back to its sockets. She shook her head in frustration. The place was surrounded by tall apartment complexes that casts shadows around them, making it look like it was already dark. Itinulak ng babae ang lalaki at pabirong kinurot sa tagiliran. "You're so naughty talaga! Hmp!" Aspen leaped on top of a two storey apartment to watch the couple in a more comfortable distance. "Sige na kasi. Habang wala pa ang mama mo." udyok ng lalaki at sige parin sa paghalik sa leeg ng babae na patuloy rin ang paghagikgik. The guy was handsome, alright. With dark curls and tanned skin. "Mamaya na lang kasi, umakyat ka sa bahay," inayos ng babae ang sarili niya nang marinig ang tawag ng isang babae sa pangalan niya. "Mamayang gabi ha? ‘Pag tulog na si mama." Binigyan ng dalaga ng pahabol na halik ang nobyo bago nagtatakbo patungo sa entrance ng tinutuluyang apartment complex. Naiwan ang lalaki na kakamot kamot ng ulo. Napangisi si Aspen. The guy looked like he's barely in his teens. She believes he's the perfect age for a victim. Malusog at batang bata ang dugo nito. Napalunok siya. Mula sa kinatatayuan niya ay dinig niya ang malakas at malusog na t***k ng puso nito at ang mainit na dugong dumadaloy sa mga ugat nito. She could almost feel the warm liquid in her mouth and with that, her gums started to itch as her fangs eagerly pushed past it, eager to bite into something. Plus, he's horny. Aspen never had a problem with using s*x as means to get what she wants. In case of this guy, she wants a pint of his blood. Or maybe two? Depending on her level of thirst. Tinalon niya ang gusali habang nakatalikod pa ang lalaki at tinatanaw ang umalis na nobya. She landed on the cement gracefully. Not making any sound. "Hi." she called to him in a sultry voice to get his attention. The guy was startled but as he took on her appearance he almost immediately smiled. No one could resist her looks. That is part of being a vampire. They look really attractive to their preys. Even the way they smell and the sound of their alluring voice attracts them. "Hi?" he was kind of wary at first. "Was that your girlfriend?" she asked as she sauntered towards him. "Uhh, y-yeah.. Parang ganoon na nga." the guy flashed her a grin which for mortals like him could be considered as attractive. But Aspen's eyes are very hard to please. Another wave of cramps came assaulting her stomach as her eyes zeroed in on his pulse. Her thirst is starting to cloud her mind and her instincts are overpowering her. There was a voice inside her head telling her to jump on him and drink all his blood. Take everything. Every ounce of it. Every drop. She clenched her fists as she fought her nature. Easy, girl She promised herself that she will never kill any prey unless strictly necessary. She have practiced control over her hunger for several years and she's not about to give in to it. She fought the urge to just dive into his neck as his face flushed crimson red as she stalked him. She walked towards the guy, she made sure she looked alluring enough for him. Although vampires have naturally attractive physique, she still made it an effort to seduce humans. It was easier for her to feed on them when they are horny as f**k. She uses her voluptuous body, curly brown hair and sparkling amber eyes to put them under her spell. "Can I ask you something?" "A-ano yon?" tanong ng lalaki. Habang papalapit siya rito at nakakaramdam ito ng takot. Although, sa isip nito ay naakit parin ito sa kanya. "May kailangan akong hingin sayo." "A-Ano?" She bit her lower lip as she extended her arm towards the guy. Walang pagaalinlangan na nadama ang mortal at kusa na itong lumapit sa kanya. "Hmm..I want your blood. Let's say, a pint or two?" Noon lamang nakaramdam ng takot ito nang ilabas niya ang kanyang pangil. Ngunit huli na ang lahat. Agad niya itong sinunggaban at kinagat ang leeg nito. Blood spilled from his wounds and Aspen immediately sucked. His body twitched as she took a long pull from his veins. Nagpakalunod siya sa dugo ng binata hanggang sa mawala ang uhaw na nadarama niya. She sipped and slurped to her heart's content. I should stop.. Aspen, stop! Kapag hindi pa siya tumigil ngayon ay maaring mapatay niya ito! Noong huli siyang magkaroon ng aksidente ay wala pa siyang limang taon. Ang laging paalala ng creator niya ay ang maging maingat siya. Ang mga tao ay hindi nila pagkain, nage-exist ito upang tulungan silang magsurvive. At dahil tinutulungan sila ng mga ito, marapat lang na respetuhin nila ang buhay ng mga ito sa pamamagitan ng hindi pagpatay sa kanila. It was kind hypocritical but that is what she grew up to believe. Naramdaman ni Aspen ang panghihina ng biktima niya at iyon ang nagpabalik sa kanyang ulirat. But before she was able to retract her fangs, she felt a sharp object plunge into her skin, piercing her. She gasped and looked down to her severed shoulder. A wooden f*****g stake! Agad na binitawan niya ang lalaki na napaupo sa sahig. She watched as the trickle of blood stained her white shirt and created a hole on her favorite jacket. Aspen was pissed. Lumingon siya sa likod at isang mapait na ngiti ang kusang kumurba sa labi niya. "You know if you really want to kill me you could just put the stake through my heart and not on my shoulder.. ..Maxwell."